ssl_crl_file

ssl_crl_file is the PostgreSQL setting that identifies the location of the SSL certificate revocation list file.

Note

Fact — official short description: “Location of the SSL certificate revocation list file.”

Identity

Type , Valuestring: Upstream pg_settings type
Context , Valuesighup: Takes effect after configuration reload
Unit , Value—: Raw unit
Range , Value—: Raw limits in the last observed version
Enum values , Value—: — for non-enum types
Category , ValueConnections and Authentication / SSL: Upstream classification
Latest boot value , Value"": empty string

Lifecycle

Fact	Value
First observed	PG9.2
Present in	PG9.2–19 Beta 3
Removed in	No
Introduction commit	`a445cb92ef5b` — Add parameters for controlling locations of server-side SSL files
Commit date	2012-02-22
Discussion	—

Default history

Measured PG9.0–19 Beta 3 boot defaults
Versions	Raw `boot_val`	Unit	Human value
PG9.2–19 Beta 3	`""`	—	empty string

How it works

ssl_crl_file identifies the location of the SSL certificate revocation list file. The PEM revocation list is consulted when validating client certificates and must be refreshed as issuers publish new revocation state.

ssl_crl_file is a SIGHUP-context setting: a configuration reload activates the new server value without a restart; subsequent operations that consult it use the refreshed value. Existing TLS sessions are not renegotiated.

It participates in the TLS context used for new handshakes. ssl enables transport, pg_hba.conf decides which connection classes require it, and the certificate, key, CA, revocation, protocol, and cipher settings must form one valid policy.

Tuning advice

Tip

Advice. These are workload-specific starting points and must be validated with measurements.

Workload	Guidance
OLTP	Refresh ssl_crl_file from the issuing CA before its next-update deadline, validate its signature and issuer coverage, reload PostgreSQL, and prove that a newly revoked client certificate is rejected.
OLAP	Analytical clients follow the same revocation policy; do not defer CRL refresh because their sessions are longer or less frequent.
Small nodes	If a managed CRL feed is unavailable, document that client-certificate revocation is not current rather than relying on a stale file. Keep the file and reload process monitored on every failover node.

Pigsty

Values use the fixed 8-vCPU, 32-GiB, 100-GiB SSD fixture and render the current Pigsty templates for PG19 Beta 3; this does not assert current Pigsty support for that historical or beta release.

Template	Effective value	Versus upstream boot	Source expression
OLTP	Unmodified	—	—
OLAP	Unmodified	—	—
CRIT	Unmodified	—	—
TINY	Unmodified	—	—

Caution

Advice — pending human review. Fact from the current Pigsty template projection: OLTP: PG9.2–19 Beta 3 unmodified; OLAP: PG9.2–19 Beta 3 unmodified; CRIT: PG9.2–19 Beta 3 unmodified; TINY: PG9.2–19 Beta 3 unmodified. No Pigsty-specific rationale is inferred from an absent override.

Common pitfalls

Editing ssl_crl_file without reloading configuration and verifying the effective value and subsequent behavior.
Updating only one TLS file or policy knob and leaving an invalid chain, unreadable key, or incompatible protocol set.
Assuming a reload renegotiates existing sessions; TLS policy changes affect new handshakes.
Changing ssl_crl_file globally without a rollback plan and a client or operational compatibility test.

ssl · ssl_cert_file · ssl_key_file · ssl_ca_file · ssl_min_protocol_version